President Bola Tinubu has nominated former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, as the new Minister of Defence.
The nomination was contained in a letter sent to Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday, announcing Musa as the replacement for Mohammed Badaru, who resigned from the position on Monday citing health reasons.
In the letter, the President expressed confidence in Musa’s ability to lead the ministry and strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.
The development was also confirmed in a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
According to the statement, “General Musa, 58 on December 25, is a distinguished soldier who served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025. He won the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012.
“Born in Sokoto in 1967, General Musa received his primary and secondary education there before attending the College of Advanced Studies in Zaria. He graduated in 1986 and enrolled at the Nigerian Defence Academy the same year, earning a Bachelor of Science degree upon graduation in 1991.
“General Musa was commissioned into the Nigerian Army as a Second Lieutenant in 1991 and has since had a distinguished career.”
His military appointments include General Staff Officer 1 (Training/Operations) at HQ 81 Division; Commanding Officer, 73 Battalion; Assistant Director, Operational Requirements, Department of Army Policy and Plans; and Infantry Representative/Member, Training Team, HQ Nigerian Army Armour Corps.
In 2019, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff, Training/Operations, Headquarters Infantry Centre and Corps; Commander, Sector 3, Operation Lafiya Dole; and Commander, Sector 3 Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region.
He was appointed Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai, in 2021, later becoming Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps before his appointment as Chief of Defence Staff in 2023.
Badaru, who took office on August 21, 2023, resigned on Monday due to ill health. Tinubu accepted his resignation and thanked him for his service to the country.
The statement noted that the President would formally notify the Senate of Badaru’s replacement within the week.
Badaru’s resignation comes at a time when the President has declared a national security emergency, with further details expected to be announced soon.
The former minister recently faced criticism after a BBC Hausa interview in which he said some terrorists could not be targeted because their forest hideouts were too dense for bombs to penetrate.